Tuesday, February 23, 2010

"We rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." - Romans 5:3-5

I have been clinging to these verses and others like them for months now. Any verse with the word hope in it has been close to my heart and forefront in my mind. I'll go ahead and tell you right now that though verses of hope and confidence in God were constantly playing in my head, my heart and life did not always follow. I have been discouraged, disappointed, despairing and downright depressed along the way. But somewhere in the recesses of my mind, I knew that hope would not disappoint...

I have learned (and re-learned!) a lot of lessons over the last eighteen months as I have searched for a job. I am still processing it all and promise to share more as I do. Suffice it to say for now that I find myself humbled and hopeful once again. My confidence in God's timing has been renewed and my trust in Him is stronger than ever. After a lot of uncertainty and many tears, I find myself at the beginning of what looks to be a wonderful new job and journey. I am excited...and so is Jason! More on everything as it unfolds!

Let me leave you with the beautiful Message translation of the above passage for your benefit (italics mine):

"By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that's not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise. There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit! Christ arrives right on time to make this happen." - Romans 5:1-5

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

This challenged me this morning, so I thought I'd pass it along to you. It is worth thinking about as you consider what to "give up" during this Lenten season. I certainly found myself convicted by these words! My first thought after reading it? That all sounds way too difficult! That is when I knew this must be my resolution during this season. And hopefully this sacrifice will leave a lasting impression on my life and extend far beyond the 40 days of Lent...

A Lenten Reflection
Give up complaining - focus on gratitude.
Give up pessimism- become an optimist.
Give up harsh judgments- think kindly thoughts.
Give up worry- trust Divine Providence.
Give up discouragement- be full of hope.
Give up bitterness- turn to forgiveness.
Give up hatred- return good for evil.
Give up negativism- be positive.
Give up anger- be more patient.
Give up pettiness- become mature.
Give up gloom- enjoy the beauty that is all around you.
Give up jealousy- pray for trust.
Give up gossiping- control your tongue.
Give up sin- turn to virtue.
Give up giving up- hang in there!
- Unknown

WARNING: Catherine Marshall, best known for the novels Julie and Christie (and for being the wife of great preacher/teacher Peter Marshall) once wrote about her own experience of fasting from complaining. I'll try to find the book where she speaks of it and post some of her thoughts. For now, just know that she said that this one experience really exposed how negative she had become and how often complaint and pettiness consumed her. Be prepared to be humbled by this experience!

Tuesday, February 02, 2010

The major theme in my life right now is perseverance. That being the case, I thought I'd visit the trusty dictionary.com for a definition of this loaded word. I found myself encouraged and infused with strength from my visit. Who knew the dictionary could provide that? :) I've included the definition and some synonyms below. I've italicized the stuff I found particularly delightful.

perseverance [pur-suh-veer-uhns]: - noun
1. steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement. 2. Theology: a continuance in a state of grace to the end, leading to eternal salvation.Synonyms:
1. Doggedness, steadfastness. Perseverance, persistence, tenacity, pertinacity imply resolute and unyielding holding on in following a course of action. Perseverance commonly suggests activity maintained in spite of difficulties or steadfast and long-continued application: endurance and perseverance combined to win in the end. Tenacity, with the original meaning of adhesiveness, as of glue, is a dogged and determined holding on. Whether used literally or figuratively it has favorable implications: a bulldog quality of tenacity; the tenacity of one's memory.

This word occurs more than thirty times in the NT alone. There are countless references to steadfastness throughout the Bible. Incidentally, this is a favorite word of mine and the chosen title of a devotional I hope to write one day. :) Here's the Greek definition for you:

ὑπομονή (hü-po-mo-nā')
1. steadfastness, constancy, endurance
a) in the NT the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings
b) patiently, and steadfastly
2. a patient, steadfast waiting for
3. a patient enduring, sustaining, perseverance

Monday, February 01, 2010

It has been three full weeks since my last post. Sorry about that. I vow to do better this month. Thoughts are swimming around in my head as I type, but I haven't got time to write a full post at the moment. More later, I promise...